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Ogitchidaa Promotion Successful in First Fight Card

Ogitchidaa Promotion Successful in First Fight Card with Great Matchups and Some Technical Rough Edges

By Scott Bernberg

Well, they pulled it off.

The initial fight card from Birth of the Ogitchidaa on March 31st from The Bay Area Civic Center in Ashland, Wisconsin has come and gone – and although there this fledgling promotion still some work to do in ironing out a handful rough edges, fans and promoters alike had to be happy with the resulting product that saw great matchups, powerful knockouts and slick submissions – all featuring some of the best fighters the Midwest has to offer.

Ogitchidaa founder and MMA veteran Christopher “Tree Hugger” Hicks was realistic and optimistic about his first-born fight card, “Overall, I was pleased with the effort. But I also realize that we have miles to go towards reaching our full potential.”

Hicks is correct about Ogitchidaa’s potential to improve – especially when it comes to the production side of the event. The promoter had planned to work with skilled hand Chris Martin, who has extensive experience both marketing the sport and on the production side of events. But funding was limited and had to be allocated elsewhere, which left Hicks unable to afford Martin’s top flight services.

The result was a scrappy effort that even Martin himself had to admire, “I was bummed about the funding issue, but totally understand. In a perfect world I could have just donated our time – but unfortunately it’s not a perfect world.” The BJJ promoter continued by saying “I have to hand it to him though – even though he had very little money and even less experience, he managed to pull it together and create something pretty watchable. When he has some money behind him…watch out!”

Indeed, you can’t ignore that there were more than a handful of technical hiccups, and the production didn’t always look as sharp as you’d find with more established productions, but the Birth of the Birth of the Ogitchidaa delivered where it mattered most – inside the ring with up and coming combat sports artists doing what they do best.

A Fight Night Filled with Great Performances

You may not have known their names going in, but once the smoke cleared on the fight card, chances are you had a few fighters on the brain who are well-worth tracking in the months and years ahead.

Yes, although the video and audio quality was spotty at times, the evening produced some truly HI DEF spectacular action, including KO of the Night from Isaiah Gathings, Jr. who pummelled his adversary into dreamland in their tilt. Slick submission specialist Tedrick Macklin from Texas also received Submission of the Night honors after finishing his opponent with a sneaky rib kick which then immediately led to a display of slick Jiu Jitsu transitions (triangle to back to RNC) to earn the submission of the night.

Gathings and Macklin got special focus (and of course their bonuses) for performances that stood head and shoulders above the rest – but really, all the fighters worked damn hard – and despite a variety of different readiness levels, left it all in the ring on that Saturday night.

The Semi-Finals are Set!

Action on the card produced winners who will be moving on to fight in the semi-finals of the inaugural tournament – being held June 30th at the Bay Area Civic Center.

With all due respect to the fighters who ended up on the losing side of the bracket on March 31st, the next round of fight is where we’re going to start to see some stars of the future emerge. The competition is tougher, and the intensity will be turned up multiple times over as each fighter can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel — and the benefits of being crowned champ of this suddenly significant tournament.

Hot on the heels of their successful inaugural card, the Ogitchidaa fight promotion also announced the addition of Women’s MMA to their fed’s future efforts. With 7 top weight divisions planned (95/105/115/125/135/145/155), classes for women beginning June 29th and an 8-woman bracket already in the works for the next show, Ogitchidaa is investing BIG in the ladies – with a keen understanding of what the MMA world has come to know over the past half-decade: that the women fight just as intensely and with just as much violent passion as their male counterparts.

What’s Ahead for Birth of the Ogitchidaa

Between the next round of the tournament, video and audio production that is bound to improve by leaps and bounds, AND the addition of female fights to a growing roster of talented MMA artists, it’s easy to see why people are talking – and you should be watching Birth of the Ogitchidaa.

A Promotion Seeking Early Stage Investors

Although promoters felt somewhat satisfied (and fans enjoyed the show) with the initial card, Ogitchidaa founder and MMA veteran Christopher “Tree Hugger” Hicks still faces numerous challenges ahead. Hicks is not afraid to say that he needs in the help in the form of investors and partners interested in playing a role in the growth of his federation. “If you’re out there – and want to have a stake in a young promotion with some really outstanding talent, reach out to me today,” Hicks said.